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• Lauren J. Fix, The Car Coach, will be co-anchor on the DIY Network beginning in September. A series of 65 one-hour shows dealing with both novice and advanced car maintenance, the DIY Network can be located in your local cable program guide. Fix is a recognized "automotive expert" who has appeared on the Today Show, Inside Edition, The Early Show, CNN, MSNBC, CNNfn, FOX News, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, WB, UPN, The Weather Channel, ESPN, Discovery Channel, Speedvision and National Public Radio. She is also the spokesperson for "Be Car Care Aware," a consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair. She is also a 40 Under 40 Business Award Winner, 2000 Car Care Council Communications Award and 2002 Women of the Year, Business Advisory Board of New York Award winner. For more information/interview, contact The Naso Group 847.679.9376.
• The Car Care Council Women’s Board will offer a scholarship to a female enrolled in her second-year at a technical school, who is planning on entering the automotive field upon graduation. The scholarship will be presented to the winner during the 2003 Women’s Business reception on Tuesday, November 4 at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo in Las Vegas. Teachers can nominate students by downloading an application form from http://women.carecare.org and returning it to the CCC either by fax (301.654.3299) or by mail: 4600 East-West Highway, Ste. 300, Bethesda, MD 20813-3415. The scholarship committee will evaluate the application and Jiffy Lube, Int’l, Inc. has agreed to fund the $1,000 scholarship.
• Volkswagen announced in June 2003 that they will stop making the original rear-engine Beetle later this year. Bringing the curtain down on the nearly 70-year history of the classic "bug," production of the last old Beetles at the VW plant in Puebla, Mexico ended this summer. There has been a sinking demand for the original model, said spokesman Fred Baerbock, manufactured only in Mexico since 1978. The first version of what would become known as the Beetle was developed in 1934 under the guidance of Adolf Hitler, who wanted to build a "people’s car," or in German, Volkswagen. It first entered mass production after WWII. Over the decades, the VW became a favorite of both thrifty postwar Germans and 1960s American hippies before competition from Japanese compacts elbowed it aside. VW sold more than 21 million of the cars over the decades, but says it produced less than 30,000 Puebla last year. The plant in Puebla will continue to produce the New Beetle sedan, a modernized version that hit the market in 1998. (AP copyright 2003)
• Avanti Motor Corp and General Motors Corp. have settled the dispute over Avanti’s newest addition to the market, its Studebaker XUV. Settled amicably out of court, Avanti will put their XUV into production as planned. The story began when Avanti’s Studebaker XUV (Xtreme Utility Vehicle) was unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2002. A day after the XUV intro, GM took legal action stating the vehicle looked too similar to the Hummer H2 and would confuse the car-buying public. GM sought to have Avanti remove the XUV from the event, but Auto Show officials refused, causing GM to go to court trying to bar the XUV from any auto show. Twice denied, a June court date was set for GM’s lawsuit. The recent settlement will result in a few minor alterations to the Avanti XUV, including a larger slant to the windshield and A-pillar, removal of hood latches and vents, addition of vent windows in the rear side doors, larger side windows, and a smaller luggage rack. The rear tailgate will open from the bottom and rear window will roll down into the tailgate. Construction on the XUV will began this Fall with delivery near year’s end.
• Volkswagen Bank will launch a VISA credit card with rewards. VW Bank USA, an affiliate of VW of America, Inc. and Bank One will form an alliance to offer the Volkswagen Platinum Visa Card with Rewards, giving consumers a great vehicle for earning rewards with every purchase. VW Platinum Visa card members will earn two points for every dollar spent on qualified VW purchases and one point for every dollar spent on other purchases. After accumulating 2,500 reward points, they can choose from a check to be used toward the purchase of a VW vehicle, service or maintenance on a VW, or payment toward a car loan or lease with VW credit; a gift certificate toward a wide variety of merchandise in VW DriverGear Collection; or other rewards such as discounts on brand-name merchandise, airline tickets and luxury hotels. For additional information, go to www.vw.com.